Lecture: Pathology 5: Neoplasia Flashcards
What is meant by the term ‘malignant’?
Tending to produce death.
What is meant by the term ‘benign’?
Not malignant and unlikely to cause harm.
What are carcinomas?
(Invasive) Malignant neoplasm of epithelial tissue.
What are the 2 types of carcinoma?
Squamous carcinoma and glandular adenocarcinoma
What are sarcomas?
Malignant neoplasm of connective tissue or muscle
What are lymphomas?
Malignant neoplasm of lymphocytes
What is leukemia?
Malignant neoplasm of leukocytes (or other blood cells)
What is melanoma?
Malignant neoplasm of melanocytes
What is neoplasia?
Autonomous ‘new growth’ of abnormal cells. Growth is clonal, abnormal, and excessive and is usually non-responsive to normal growth controls owing to genetic abnormality.
What is meant by the term ‘clonal’?
When one (or more) cells becomes abnormal and all further cell generations are clones of this original one.
What are the hallmarks of cancer?
Avoids immune destruction Evades growth suppressors Replicative immortality Tumour promoting inflammation Activates invasion and metastasis Genomic instability Resists cell death Induces angiogenesis Deregulates cellular energetics Sustains proliferation signals
What are oncogenes?
Mutated gene that promotes neoplasia and uncontrollably and unchecked growth
What are tumour suppressor genes?
Tumor suppressor genes arenormal genes that slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or tell cells when to undergo apoptosis.
How can we classify neoplasia?
Behaviour- benign, borderline, malignant
Histogenesis- cell of origin
Differentiation and transdifferentiation
Molecular classification
What are benign neoplasms?
Neoplasms that remain localized. Benign neoplasms look similar to the ‘parent’ tissue they have arisen from but push against borders.
Example of a benign neoplasm?
Uterine leiomyoma
What are borderline neoplasms?
Neoplasms with limited invasion and local destructive growth, but are very unlikely to metastasize.
Example of a borderline neoplasm?
Basal cell carcinoma of the skin
What are malignant neoplasms?
Neoplasm that invades surrounding tissue and grows relatively rapidly. Variable differentiation and undergo metastasis which is the ultimate proof that a tumour is malignant.
Example of a malignant neoplasm?
Renal clear cell adenocarcinoma
What is haematogenous metastasis?
Spread by way of veins or (rarely) arteries.
What is lymphatic metastasis?
Spread by way of lymphatic channels and lymph nodes.
How do malignant neoplasms cause harm?
Metastasis
Destruction of tissues
Obstruction of hollow viscera
Production of hormones
What are the common types of cancer?
Breast, prostate, lung and colon
What are teratomas?
Neoplasms comprising of many different tissues.
What are carcinosarcoma?
Malignant neoplasm of both epithelium and connective tissue or muscle.
How does differentiation of a neoplasm relate to prognosis?
Poorly differentiated neoplasm tend to be more aggressive and abnormal.
How does damage to basement membrane allow for metastasis of neoplasms?
Damage to basement membrane gives neoplasms access to blood vessels and lymphatic channels to enable them to metastasize.
What do we call malignant neoplasms that have not metastasized?
Carcinoma in-situ / intraepithelial neoplasm
What do we call malignant neoplasms that have metastasized?
Invasive carcinoma
